For that matter, how many would bring out a release (& a half) as subtly & richly constrained, as radically free in its "open yet orderly" way & ultimately as bucolically lovely & absorbing as Feel Free (in each of its gripping 'manifestations', all of which stream below)?

Blurb: "Feel Free is a composition by Duane Pitre that currently has three possible manifestations: solo performance, group performance, and sound installation. At the core of all of them is the pillar of the work, an open yet orderly system whose intention is to produce potentially infinite variations of self-generating rhythm and melody. This system is created in part by a Max/MSP patch, designed by the composer, which consists of two (unprocessed) sound sources: guitar harmonics and simple-timbre electronic tones (in the solo/group versions, the latter are performed by the composer).

These solo and group versions ofFeel Freefind the work following a sequence of movements, with each embodying slight variations in feel, pitch material, performance methods, and rules. Blanketing the entire performance are suggestions given to the performers, such as that they should feel free to interact with one another, as well as with the random, real-time, computer generated patterns of guitar harmonics; therefore making intuitive yet rule-based decisions, in that moment of the piece, instead of relying on standard notation to dictate their every move. This approach creates a performance that is unique upon each occasion that it is performed; it is free from its own restraints."

& also: "The two major focal points in the creation of composer Duane Pitre's Feel Free,
his new work for a unique sextet combination, were rhythm and melody.
An open yet orderly system intended to produce potentially infinite
variations of self-generating rhythm and melody was carefully created
for this piece, allowing the sextet musicians to approach these factors
in a freer manner. This ‘musical system,’ combined with the fixed
elements of the composition, in turn, spawned a rich foundation of
harmony & rhythm that sounds & feels exotic and new.

The title, Feel Free, derives in part from one
of the composition’s instructions to its performers. It suggests that
they should feel free to interact with (or ignore) one another, as well
as with the random, real-time, computer generated patterns of guitar
harmonics (the pillar of the work); therefore making intuitive yet
rule-based decisions, in that moment of the piece, instead of relying on
standard notation to dictate their every move. This approach creates a
performance that is unique upon each occasion that it is performed; it
is free from its own restraints.

Pitre set out to compose a piece as a musical
lattice-work that was rich with layers and interweaving rhythmic
patterns, superimposing themselves upon each another in ways that would
at times synchronize with and without intention. It is a system rooted
in chaos that finds alignment in a myriad of ways."